Button-hole clamp for sewing-machines



(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet l.

G. J. WOODWARD.

BUTTON HOLE CLAMP FOB. SEWING MACHINES.

No. 411,703. Patented Sept. 24, 1889.

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(No Model.) 6 sheets- -sheet 2. U. J WOODWAR-D.

BUTTON HOLE GLAMP FOB SEWING MACHINES.

No. 411,703. Patented Sept. 24, 1889.

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6 Sheets-Sheet 3.

C. J. WOODWAED.

BUTTON HOLE CLAMP FOR SEWING MACHINES.

Patented Sept. 24, 1-889.

(No Model.) 6 Sheets-*Sheet 4.

v 0. J. WOODWARD.

BUTTON HOLE GLAMP FOB SEWING MACHINES.

No. 411,703. Patented Sept. 24. 1889.

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O. J. WOODWARD.

BUTTON HOLE GLAMP FOR SEWING MACHINES.

.No. 411,703. Patented Sept.-24, 1889.

Iijtll- (No Model.) 4 6 Sheets-Sheet 6.

0. J. WOODWARD.

BUTTON HOLE CLAMP FOR SEWING MACHINES. v No. 411,703. Patented Sept. 24.1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES J. XVOODYVARD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BUTTON-HOLE CLAMP FOR SEWlNG-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 411,703, datedSeptember 24, 1889.

Application filed May 31, 1889. Serial No. 312,759. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. \VOOD- WARD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Button-Hole Clamp for Sewing-Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for gripping, spreading,and holding in the spread condition the cut edges of the cloth inbutton-hole sewing-machines, my improvements being such that bymanipulation of a single lever a piece of goods of any thickness may beexpeditiously inserted and clamped and the cut edges of the slit whichis to form the button-hole be spread apart from one another and retainedin the spread condition for the customary overcast or buttonholestitching.

My clamp being designed to be supported by and guided upon thesewing-machine table in the accustomed manner, no such table is hereshown.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, (showing a clamp embodying my improve1nents,) the firstfour figures show the instrument in condition to receive the goods,Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 being respectively a top, side, front, and rearview. Fig. 5 is a top view which shows the operating-lever swung clearover and locked in position for holding the clamped and spread fabric.Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the base-plate and of the spreadingcamdetached. Fig. 7 is a rear view of the lever, the link, the slide, andthe clampingjaws, the lever being shown locked to the clamping andspreading position for thin goods, the spring-bar being indicated bydotted lines. Fig. 8 shows the same parts in like condition for thickgoods. Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the same parts detached.Fig. 10 is a vertical section, and Fig. 11 a bottom view, of thespreading-cam. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the standard.

13 is a top view of the same.

1 represents the base-plate of the device, having the usual notch 1 topermit passage of the needle.

2 is a guide-toe or guide-pin to occupy the customary guide-slot of thesewing-machine table. This toe is normally depressed, as shown, by aspring 2, but when desired can he momentarily raised from such depressedposition by means of its lip 2".

3 8 are dowels which, occupying sockets in the bottom of the rearextension 4 from the lower part of the standards 9 9, coact with screws5 5 to hold said rear extension in place upon the base-plate.

6 is the pivot-post of the spreading-cam '7, whose orifice S for thispurpose receives said pivot-post (5.

From the rear extension 4 rise two respectively right and left standards9 of the represented U -form ed horizontal section. Grooves 9 in thesestandards receive vertical portions or shanks 11 11 and the horizontalportions of the bed or counter jaws 13 13,upon whichthe goods to beoperated on rest. These grooves also receive the right andleft L-forniedshanks 14 14 of the upper clamp-jaws, having the gripping pieces or bits15 15. Springs 16 16, which also occupy the said grooves, operate toimpart to the upper and lower jaws on one side a normal tendency toapproach the corresponding jaws on the other side. Recesses 19 19 in theinner adjacent edges of the shanks 14 14 of the clamp-jaws properreceive projections 20 from the vertically-slidable piece 21. Theseprojections 20, besides their proper function of raising and depressingthe jaws, engage behind the standards and assist in guiding the slide 21to a vertical path. The guidance of the slide 21 is further aided by thefact that its convex edges 23 are confined in concave grooves in thestandards.

Slide 21 is connected by link 25 with the operating-lever 26, which isfulcrumed at 27 to spring-depressed fulcrum-bar 28, one end of which ispivoted to the stationary parts of the machine, as at 29, and the otherend of which is confined in a keeper 30 and is normally depressed by aspring 31. The lever 26 has a handle 32. The link and-slide connectionof the lever with the clamp-jaws and the fulcruniing of the said leverin a pivoted bar capable of rising against a spring-pressure (instead offulcruming said lever to a fixed member) enable the clamping of goods ofany thickness with equal facility and effectiveness and withoutsubjecting the device to any strain.

The inner edges 33 of the shanks 11 11 bearing against the verticalwalls 34 34 of the shanks 14 14, any action which tends to force asunderthe shanks 14 14 operates in like manner on the shanks 11 11, and henceboth upper and lower jaws are expanded simultaneously. The forcing apartof the right and left hand jaws while the fabric is firmly gripped bythem, so as to spread or open the slit preparatory to the overcasting orstitching operation, is accomplished by partial rotation of thespreading-cam 7. This spreading-cam is so formed in transverse sectionthat when in position shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3,4, and 6 it is inert, butwhen partially rotated, as in Fig. 5, its salient portions 36 36, bypressing against the inner edges of the shanks 14 14, force away fromone another the right and left hand jaws, as shown in said figures. Thispartial rotation of the spreadingcam is brought about by the impact oflip 37 of the lever 26 with wing 38 of the spreading-cam.

Adjustable stops 39 40, being set toward or away from each other, serveto regulate the amplitude of the partial rotations of the spreader-cam,and consequently the amount of the spread given to the jaws. These stopsare held to their places of adjustment by setscrews 41 42. confine thecam-post in direction of its length. A stud 10, that extends downwardfrom stop 39, limits the backward or retractile swing of the cam-win g38, and consequently of the cam itself. The forward swing of said cam islimited by impingement of its wing 38 against the adjustable stop 40.The customary holdfast for the thread end is seen at 44.

The operation of my device is as follows: The clamp having been placedon the sewingmachine table with its toe 2 in the proper starting-placein the guide-groove, the lever 26 is swung to the right. (See Figs. 1,2, 3, and 4.) This rightward swing operates, through link 25 and slide21, to lift the jaws 15 15. For thin goods a very slight rightwarddeflection of the lever suffices. Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, represent thelever swung to its extreme rightward position for very thick goods. The

jaws 15 15 being thus lifted, the goods are so inserted as to place thecut slit centrally over the corresponding notch of the base-plate -1.

The lever then being swung to the left, (see Figs. 5, 7, and 8,) so asto bring the centers 50, y, and z in line, the lever operates throughthe same members 25 and 21 to depress the jaws 15 15 and grip the goods.8 show how the gripping takes place by bringing the points as y F1 ondead-center with any fineness or thickness of goods, which could not bedone had the lever-fulcrum or; been in fixed bearings instead of in theshift able spring-bar; but, being fulcrumed in said shiftable oryielding bar, the latter yields to the resistance made by the thickgoods to the A lip 43 on stop 39 serves tov Figs. 7 and furtherdepression of the jaws 15 15, and the three centers become as effectivefor thick goods at the greater elevation shown in F1g. 8 as they werefor the thinner goods at the lower elevation shown in Fig. 7. The goods,of whatever thickness, having become effectually clamped, the two partsseparated by the slit are spread asunder by shifting the lever 26 stillfarther to the left, in which its lip 37 impinging on and pressingbefore it the wing 38 of the spreading-cam 7, partially rotates the saidcam, causing its salient portions 36 36 to elbow apart the two upperjaws '15 15 and the two corresponding lower jaws 13 13. This action,forcing the stud y a little past alignment with the studs x and .2,effectually locks and retains the parts to the spread condition untiltheir release by the operator.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. I11 a button-hole clamp for sewing-machines, the combination, withspring-depressed fulcrum-bar, of operating-lever fulcrumed thereto andhaving link-and-slide connection with the clamp-jaws, whereby the samelever which raises the clampaws 1s made available to depress them withclamping action on goods of any thickness.

2. In a button-hole clamp for sewing-machines, the combination, with thetwo sets of both laterally and vertically separable clamping-jaws, ofthe vertically-1noved slide having a projection which occupies recessesin the upper clamping-jaws, an operating-lever linked I to said slideand fulcrumed in spring-depressed fulcrum-bar, and whose lip is adaptedto engage with and partially rotate the spreading-cam, the saidfulcrum-bar, and the said spreading-cam, whereby the same lever isinstrumental in the successive operations of raising the upperclamp-jaws, of depressing the same, and of spreading the two sets oflower and upper jaws and locking them to the clamped and spreadcondition on goods of any thickness, as set forth.

3. In a button-hole clamp for sewing-machines,the combination, withspreading-cam on vertical axis, of the spring-contracted upper and lowerclamp-jaws, the lower clampjaw shanks being inclosed within and forcedapart by the upper clamp-jaw shanks, as set forth.

4. In a button-hole clalnpfor sewing-machines, the combination of thepair of right and left U-formed standards, the inclosed jaw-shanks andtheir contracting-springs, the vertical spreading-cam, (separating theright and left cam-sh anks,) and the operatin g-lever,

as set forth.

5. In a button-hole clamp for sewing-ma chines, the combination, withthe operating lever and with the standards and the winged spreading-cam,of adjustable back-stop 39 10 41 and adjustable front or amplitude stop40 42, as set forth.

6. In a button-hole clamp for sewing-machines, the combination, withbase 1, having the pivot-post 6, and with standards 9 9 and thespreading-cam 7 of the back-stop 3O 1O 41, having the lip 43 forpreventing vertical displacement of the spreading-cam.

7. In a button-hole clamp for sewing-machines, the combination of thefollowing elements, to wit: the base-plate 1 1', having thespreading-cam 7, the pair of rightand left U formed standards 9 9,having the rear extension 4, the qnadrnplex clamp 13 13 15 15, and thecontracting-springs 16 16, as set forth.

8. In a button-hole clamp for sewing-maset forth.

CHAS. J. WOODWARD. Witnesses:

HARRY E. KNIGHT, GEORGE H. KNIGHT.

